f-commerce beyond the f-store: 20 notable examples

When people talk about f-commerce – Facebook-enhanced retail – what typically comes to mind is the f-store, the Facebook store.  If might be a faux-store – a ‘fake’ store(front) that doesn’t actually support transactions, but simply drives traffic to a web-store.  Or it might be a fan-store, selling a limited number of fan-first/fan-exclusive products with a view of turning fans into advocates.  Or it might be a full store, selling a full range of products, essentially replicating a web-store within Facebook.  But it’s likely to be a store.

But f-commerce is bigger than f-stores – with the launch in 2010 of the Facebook Open Graph Protocol, along with social plugins – brands and retailers have been able to offer Facebook-enhanced retail on websites and in-store, creating a triumvirate of f-commerce opportunities

• f-commerce on Facebook
• f-commerce on-site
• f-commerce in-store

Yesterday, we recapped notable examples of f-commerce on Facebook, i.e. f-stores.  Today, here’s a roundup of f-commerce beyond the f-store – onsite f-commerce, and in-store f-commerce

On-site f-commerce

1. Amazon

• What’s notable about it: when the largest e-tailer on the planet integrates Facebook…

2. Levis Friends Store

• What’s notable about it: one of the first retailers to integrate Facebook into their web-store to offer instant personalisation

3. TripAdvisor

• What’s notable about it: Leading review and travel booking site integrates with Facebook to offer instant personalisation and allow users to connect with Facebook contacts on-site

4. Groupon

• What’s notable about it: The fastest growing e-commerce business on the web integrates with Facebook and uses social sign-on (one less login to remember) – and then encourages members to share deals via Facebook

5. Eventbrite

• What’s notable about it: Event-ticketing site integrates with Facebook to offer instant personalisation, and promote sharing via Facebook.  Calculated the value of a Facebook share to be $2.52 in new ticket sales

6. Blippy

• What’s notable about it; a ‘shop-and-tell’ service integrated with Facebook and linked to your credit card or retailer accounts – buy a product, review it and post to your Facebook wall

7. PayWithAPost/PayWithATweet

• What’s notable about it: Innovative tryvertising service that uses a Facebook wall post (status update) or a tweet as social currency – post or tweet to get digital downloads for free

8. Flaunt-it

• What’s notable about it: Another third-party ‘shop-and-tell’ Facebook social plugin to add to web-store checkout – encourages people to share their purchases on Facebook

9. TipFromMe

• What’s notable about it: Yet another third-party ‘shop-and-tell’ Facebook social plugin to add to web-store checkout – that rewards people to share their purchases on Facebook

10. Finz.it

• What’s notable about it: One more third-party ‘shop-and-tell’ Facebook social plugin that rewards people to share their purchases on Facebook

11. LetMeIntroduce

• What’s notable about it: Just to illustrate that the shop-and-tell space is really heating up – one more third-party ‘shop-and-tell’ Facebook social plugin

In-store f-commerce

12. DieselCam

• What’s notable about it: Facebook-connected fitting rooms in Diesel stores, Spain

13. Macy’s Magic Fitting Room

• What’s notable about it: Facebook-connected fitting rooms with virtual try-outs

14. Swivel (Facecake)/Social Shopper (Zugara)

• What’s notable about it: More Facebook-connected Augmented Reality Fitting rooms – ‘visualise and validate’ the shape of things to come?

15. Coca-Cola Village

• What’s notable about it: Real life like button at the Coca-cola village, swipe your entry band to send a ‘like’ to Facebook

16. Swipely

• What’s notable about it; ‘shop-and-tell’ service integrated with Facebook and linked to your credit card – buy a product, notify Facebook friends and get cash-back/rewards

17. Facebook Deals

• What’s notable about it: Transforms Facebook into a free check-in deals platform for retailers – reward customers for visiting your store with 4 types of deal:
  • individual deals for a discount, free merchandise or other reward;
  • friend deals where you and your friends claim an offer together;
  • loyalty deals for being a frequent visitor to a place;
  • charity deals where businesses pledge to donate to a cause when you check in.

18. Mazda Facebook Deals

• What’s notable about it: For the launch of Facebook Deals in the UK, check-in with Facebook to a Mazda dealer on your handset and get 20% of a Mazda roadster

19. Gap Facebook Deals

• What’s notable about it: For the launch of Facebook Deals in the US, check-in with Facebook to a Gap Store – first 10,000 received a free pairs of jeans, all others received 40% of all regular priced merchandise

20. Facebook “Buy With Friends”

• What’s notable about it: We don’t know yet – as it’s not launched, but likely to be a Facebook Credits powered group-couponing service similar to Groupon – buy a voucher with Facebook credits, spend in-store.  Already live for virtual product purchases